Mom who called son, 5, the ‘next Ted Bundy’ charged with murder

A mother has been charged with the murder of her five-year-old son, whom she reportedly dubbed the “next Ted Bundy.”

Danielle Dauphinais, 35, is accused of killing her son Elijah Lewis, who was found dead with grisly facial and scalp injuries.

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Reportedly, before his death, Dauphinais had complained about Elijah via Snapchat to a childhood friend, Erika Wolfe.

She compared him to serial killers and said his behavior had become unruly and uncontrollable and she wanted him gone.

“I call him the next Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer,” Dauphinais wrote, according to the Boston Globe.

“It’s so sad but I have no connection with this child. … I want him gone.”

Elijah’s body was discovered in a shallow grave in a wooded area in Massachusetts in October 2021 after a 10-day manhunt that spanned at least five states.

Dauphinais, a mother of six, faces one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder and three counts of witness tampering.

Dauphinais’ friend Joseph Stapf, 30, is also charged with child endangerment and witness tampering.

Elijah was reported missing by the New Hampshire State Department of Children, Youth and Families shortly before his remains were found.

Dauphinais and Stapf allegedly asked people to lie about Elijah and his living conditions after learning that child protection workers were looking for him.

Wolfe claims she forgot the messages with Dauphinais, but immediately felt a knot in her stomach upon learning of Elijah’s disappearance and the massive search.

“In my mind, I think DCYF is likely to come forward,” Wolfe said, according to the Boston Globe. “I was like, ‘Oh you’re having a rough time and probably not the best choice for comments, and we all have our days.’

PEOPLE reported that an autopsy revealed Elijah died as a result of malnutrition, neglect, fentanyl poisoning and violence.

It’s not entirely clear how Elijah ended up in the care of his mother, who reportedly has a history of domestic violence and substance abuse.

Dauphinais and Stapf are both currently being held in New Hampshire after being arrested in New York on October 17.

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